Classical Era Eurasian Empires Flashcards
Ahura Mazda
In Zoroastrianism, the good God who rules the world.
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon, conqueror of the Persian empire and part of Northwest India.
Aryans
Indo – European Pastoralists who moved into India about the time of the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization; the role in causing this collapse is still debated by historians.
Ashoka
The most famous ruler of the Mauryan empire, who converted to Buddhism and tried to rule peacefully and with tolerance.
Athenian Democracy
A radical form of direct democracy in which much of the free male population of Athens had the franchise and officeholders chosen by lot.
Caesar Augustus
Great nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar who emerged as sole ruler of the Roman state at the end of an extended period of civil war.
Cyrus (the Great)
Founder of the Persian empire; a ruler noted for his conquests, religious tolerance, and political moderation.
Darius I
Great king of Persia following upheavals after Cyrus’s death; completed the establishment of the Persian empire.
Greco-Persian Wars
Two major persianinvasions of Greece, in 490 BC and 480 BC, in which the Persians were defeated on both land and sea.
Gupta Empire
An empire of India.
Han Dynasty
Dynasty that ruled China from 206 BC to 220 CE, creating a durable state based on Shihuangdi’s state – building achievement.
Hellenistic Era
The period from 323 to 30 BC in which Greek culture spread widely in Eurasia in the kingdoms ruledby Alexander’s political successors.
Herodotus
Greek historian known as the “father of history”. His histories enunciated the Greek view of the fundamental divide between the east and west, culminating in the Greco–Persian wars 490-480 BC.
Hoplite
A heavily armed Greek infantryman. Over time, the ability to afford a hoplite panoply and to fight for the city came to define Greek citizenship.
Ionia
The territory of Greek settlements on the coast of Anatolia; the main bone of contention between the Greek and Persian Empire.
Mandate of Heaven
The theological underpinning of China’s emperors, correlating them as under the command of a divine power as long as they ruled morally and benevolently.
Battle of Marathon
An Athenian victory over a Persian invasion in 490 BCE.
Mauryan Empire
A Major Empire that encompassed most of India.
Olympic Games
A Greek religious festival and athletic games to the Greek god Zeus; founded in 776 BCE and celebrated every four years.
Patricians
Wealthy, privileged Romans who dominated early Roman society.
Pax Romana
The “Roman peace”, a term typically used to denote the stability and prosperity of the early Roman Empire, especially in the first and second centuries of CE.
Peloponnesian War
Great War between Athens and Sparta, lasting from 431 and 404 BCE. The conflict ended with the defeat of Athens and the end of the Athenian golden age.
Persepolis
The capital and greatest palace-city of the Persian Empire, destroyed by Alexander the Great.
Persian Empire
A major empire that expanded from the Iranian plateau to incorporate the Middle East from Egypt to India; flourished from around 550 to 330 B.C.E.
